The fight wasn’t big. Just a moment, small, sharp, and quick like a paper cut, but it bled more than you expected.

You hadn’t meant to snap at him. Hesh had only asked if you were okay when he caught you zoning out again. But it came out wrong, your voice too harsh, too defensive. And now you sat on the edge of the bed, arms wrapped tightly around yourself, eyes burning with the kind of ache that went deeper than just guilt.

You heard him in the kitchen, quiet, moving around. Giving you space.

You hated how much you needed him. Hated the way your mind whispered lies when he was too quiet or too far. He’ll leave. He’ll get tired of it. He’ll realize you’re not worth it.

The bedroom door creaked a little as he came back in. He didn’t speak right away. Just knelt in front of you, gently placing a mug of tea in your hands without a word.

You stared at it, then at him.

“I’m sorry,” you whispered.

He looked up at you, soft eyes, no trace of anger. “For what?”

“I don’t know. For… being like this.”

“Like what?”

You looked down, embarrassed. “Too much. Needy. Never enough.”

He was quiet for a second.

Then Hesh exhaled and reached up, cupping your face with a care so tender it made your heart twist. “Hey. Look at me.”

You did.

“You know what I see when I look at you?” he asked, thumb brushing your cheek. “I see someone who’s been made to feel small for too long. Someone who tries to be strong even when they’re running on empty. Someone who’s still standing, even when everything in their life taught them they shouldn't be.”

You blinked, lips parting, but no sound came out.

He continued, his voice low and steady. “I don’t say it all the time. I probably don’t say it enough. But I love you. And not the kind of love that fades when things get hard. I mean the ugly, soul-deep kind. The kind where I’d go to war for you. The kind where you don’t have to earn it, or prove it, or fix yourself to deserve it.”

Tears welled up in your eyes.

“I see how you doubt yourself,” he added softly. “I see how you flinch when someone gets too close, how you brace for pain. But I’m not going anywhere. You hear me?”

You nodded, barely able to breathe.

“I love you,” he said again, firmer now. “And I’m not letting you forget it.”